5 Tips to Not Leave Anyone Off Your Holiday Shopping List

When planning your holiday shopping list and budget, it can be easy to forget people or inadvertently leave them off your list. This is especially easy to do if you’ve recently moved, your child has started a new school, or you’re working at a new job and you may not be familiar with the traditions of these new places. The first year in our current house, I was certainly caught off guard when a steady stream of neighbors showed up at our door with baked goods. Oops!

To help you keep from breaking your gift giving budget this season, try these five strategies:

1. Put some extra money into the budget.

If possible, set aside enough money for two or three extra gifts. You may not have to access this money, and you’ll be able to start your savings for next year, but if you need it, you’ll be glad you planned for the forgotten expense.

2. Ask questions.

Ask your child’s classroom parent or the PTA representative what the common gift-giving practices are for the holidays. Ask your boss if your office has an annual baking competition, a Secret Santa, or some other type of holiday celebration. While raking leaves in your yard, you may casually ask your neighbor if it’s common for everyone to hang lights on trees—and then inquire if there is any gift-giving tradition on your street. Based on what you learn, you can adjust your holiday shopping list and budget accordingly.

Ask your neighbor if it’s common for everyone to hang lights on trees—and then inquire about any gift-giving tradition.

3. Ask a friend.

Brainstorm with a friend all the people he or she typically gives gifts to or double tips each year at the holidays. Mail carriers, hair stylists, trash collectors, children’s music teacher, neighbors, house cleaners, and dog walkers might be people to consider adding to your list. Your friend is likely to have a life similar to yours and be a good resource when working on your budget.

4. Add a case to your shopping list.

Thankfully, when the steady stream of neighbors showed up at our door with baked goods last Christmas, we didn’t send them away empty-handed. For the past few years, I’ve been purchasing a case of champagne in late November. I tie bows onto each one of the bottles and keep them in our pantry for gift-giving emergencies and for host gifts for the holiday parties we attend. Any bottles we don’t give away are used at our New Year’s celebration. For teetotalers, a case of premium coffee beans or jars of homemade jam can serve the same function.

5. Keep your list.

After the season is over, make notes on your shopping list about who was added, what gifts you gave, and the like. Then, keep this list or a photographed copy of the list as a reference to help you to better plan your budget for next year or throughout the year. It will also help you determine how much you will want to save as you set aside money for the next gift-giving season.